Remember yesterday's vent?
You know...
The one right after my lethal 4th period class?
I apologize.
Yes, I'm super frustrated, but when my 6th period 7th graders came in after I cooled down, I took a deep breath, put a smile on my face, cracked a couple of jokes, let the class know I was human, and moved on.
And when the end of the day rolled around, I was happy. Contentedly blissful, actually.
I still had a WHOLE bunch of students failing, but I could move on.
Today, I'm remembering to breath and not act like my class is the end of the world. Because it's not. Nope. Never.
So yeah.
Today was much better.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
VENTING
I'm tired. So beware.
I can't fight for students who won't fight for themselves. I've conferenced with a student who is failing my class, given him opportunities to catch up on his missing work and he doesn't take it. I come up with alternative arrangements, and he doesn't do it. I email and call his parents to make them aware of his grade in my class. Nothing. Then he gets checked out of school today by someone else's parent for a birthday LUNCH for another student in my class who is failing. Right in the middle of class I have 5 students waltz in making all kinds of noise saying to this particular student, "Dude, let's go!" No note. No nothing. The student packs up his stuff, grins at me because he knows just how pissed off I am inside, and says, "See ya."
Don't we have ANY protocols at all here?
This student has failed my class for two terms and come begging to me the last day of term about how he can get his grades up. I told him last term I wouldn't do it again.
Can I stick to my word?
I have to show my students that it doesn't get to me. I think I'm way too emotional about that student.
Sad to say, but all of my students with "I"s at this moment just don't care. I've sat them down individually, set goals with them, written a million sticky notes that document what they've committed to do, and then nothing. Nothing.
How do you stop caring? How do you stop looking at your gradebook and feeling like a failure because half of your class is failing. Not because of a lack of skills but because of a lack of responsibility?
Oh middle school... What will I do with you?
I'm going home early today. I'm going home early and I'm leaving work here. I'm going to go find a happy place and leave all of this behind. Because tomorrow, I'm not caring (at least visibly to them). Maybe with some reverse psychology (aka: me looking like I don't care if they get that assignment in or not and me not asking about that book report I've reminded them about a million times), they'll get this stuff done.
What can I say. End of term is next week. We'll see who my deathbed repenters are.
And as always, there's that voice asking in the back of my head, "Is this me? Is there something I could have done better? Is this my failure, too?"
Yeah... I hate that voice...
I can't fight for students who won't fight for themselves. I've conferenced with a student who is failing my class, given him opportunities to catch up on his missing work and he doesn't take it. I come up with alternative arrangements, and he doesn't do it. I email and call his parents to make them aware of his grade in my class. Nothing. Then he gets checked out of school today by someone else's parent for a birthday LUNCH for another student in my class who is failing. Right in the middle of class I have 5 students waltz in making all kinds of noise saying to this particular student, "Dude, let's go!" No note. No nothing. The student packs up his stuff, grins at me because he knows just how pissed off I am inside, and says, "See ya."
Don't we have ANY protocols at all here?
This student has failed my class for two terms and come begging to me the last day of term about how he can get his grades up. I told him last term I wouldn't do it again.
Can I stick to my word?
I have to show my students that it doesn't get to me. I think I'm way too emotional about that student.
Sad to say, but all of my students with "I"s at this moment just don't care. I've sat them down individually, set goals with them, written a million sticky notes that document what they've committed to do, and then nothing. Nothing.
How do you stop caring? How do you stop looking at your gradebook and feeling like a failure because half of your class is failing. Not because of a lack of skills but because of a lack of responsibility?
Oh middle school... What will I do with you?
I'm going home early today. I'm going home early and I'm leaving work here. I'm going to go find a happy place and leave all of this behind. Because tomorrow, I'm not caring (at least visibly to them). Maybe with some reverse psychology (aka: me looking like I don't care if they get that assignment in or not and me not asking about that book report I've reminded them about a million times), they'll get this stuff done.
What can I say. End of term is next week. We'll see who my deathbed repenters are.
And as always, there's that voice asking in the back of my head, "Is this me? Is there something I could have done better? Is this my failure, too?"
Yeah... I hate that voice...
Monday, March 11, 2013
What I Can't Teach...
When my students came in today and showed me that they didn't do their assigned homework for the 3rd time in a row (not third time not doing homework, but third time not doing the same homework that had only been assigned again because they hadn't done it the first time), I had an epiphany.
I can't teach my students to work hard. Sure, I can teach them why they should. Sure, I can persuade them with figures and numbers and holding points over their heads. Sure, I can show them by example. But when my students sit and refuse to work - or refuse to even try - I can't teach them.
How grateful I am for parents who taught me to work hard. To look at challenges with optimism and gumption rather than fear and failure. So, I'm looking at this challenge, and I'm not giving up. I will not pull back my high expectations for them. I will move forward and hope they learn that life (and my class) is much easier when you work hard and come prepared.
Wish me luck.
I can't teach my students to work hard. Sure, I can teach them why they should. Sure, I can persuade them with figures and numbers and holding points over their heads. Sure, I can show them by example. But when my students sit and refuse to work - or refuse to even try - I can't teach them.
How grateful I am for parents who taught me to work hard. To look at challenges with optimism and gumption rather than fear and failure. So, I'm looking at this challenge, and I'm not giving up. I will not pull back my high expectations for them. I will move forward and hope they learn that life (and my class) is much easier when you work hard and come prepared.
Wish me luck.
Friday, March 8, 2013
One by One
So, today was fun. Since I was gone yesterday at the Librarian's conference in Ogden, I left my students with the sub doing a "Research Day." The day before we'd talked about how to evaluate sources, how to search specific terms, etc. so I thought they'd be good with all the strategies I left them (I even put reminders of those strategies on the board before I left).
I obviously haven't learned my lesson yet about SUB days. Students rarely focus when a sub is there. So did that assigned work get done? Nope.
Oh well.
Regardless of this, I set high expectations today. My challenge was for them to take the research and evidence they had found and start making their outline for their essays. I asked all students who were having issues finding sources to raise their hands. I wrote down the names of those students, noted the ones I knew were probably most in need, and I got the class working independently. Then I called each student on my list up to my desk one-by-one. I asked them guiding questions, I had them talk out their ideas, I encouraged good searching practices, and then I sent them back.
And you know something - I got more smiles and "Thanks, Mrs. Brown"s than I ever have before. Yes, were there students that were probably off task because I wasn't actively monitoring their iPad searching? I'm sure of it. But I don't regret the decision to help those students who were having issues.
When it comes to writing, I think I can do a better job breaking things down into chewable bites. Who says they have to complete the entire outline before they start writing? Could I have them choose one mini-claim (topic sentence) to find evidence for and walk them through beginning stages to finished, polished paragraph stages? That may be on my list of things to try!
I did have 7 BYU students come and visit me today. My BYU supervisor is teaching a Reading Instruction class and they were given the assignment to come and observe the "presence" of reading in a real-life classroom. It was a little daunting when, in the 3 hours after I spoke with my supervisor, I had 5 emails asking to come and observe today, but it was actually a relief when they came. I'm always thinking about good teaching practices, but when someone's in the room, you become more aware of the WHY behind the practice, and much more aware of the consequences of teaching choices (probably because I'm thinking, What would they think if I did this? So I decided not to...)
After they left, I did realize that I think I can create a better balance of reading and writing in my classroom. My students have been reading all year, but usually they read as a way to get them INTO a writing practice or assignment. Maybe I could use a change of perspective: maybe writing is simply the way for them to convey to me what they think about what they READ.
Is it practically the same thing? Yeah. But I think the perspective change would help me be more purposeful with teaching to the READING SKILLS as well as teaching to the WRITING SKILLS.
Right now, I'm going to finish the grading I have to get done before the weekend, and then I'm going to celebrate the end of the week.
Boy - it's been a long one.
I obviously haven't learned my lesson yet about SUB days. Students rarely focus when a sub is there. So did that assigned work get done? Nope.
Oh well.
Regardless of this, I set high expectations today. My challenge was for them to take the research and evidence they had found and start making their outline for their essays. I asked all students who were having issues finding sources to raise their hands. I wrote down the names of those students, noted the ones I knew were probably most in need, and I got the class working independently. Then I called each student on my list up to my desk one-by-one. I asked them guiding questions, I had them talk out their ideas, I encouraged good searching practices, and then I sent them back.
And you know something - I got more smiles and "Thanks, Mrs. Brown"s than I ever have before. Yes, were there students that were probably off task because I wasn't actively monitoring their iPad searching? I'm sure of it. But I don't regret the decision to help those students who were having issues.
When it comes to writing, I think I can do a better job breaking things down into chewable bites. Who says they have to complete the entire outline before they start writing? Could I have them choose one mini-claim (topic sentence) to find evidence for and walk them through beginning stages to finished, polished paragraph stages? That may be on my list of things to try!
I did have 7 BYU students come and visit me today. My BYU supervisor is teaching a Reading Instruction class and they were given the assignment to come and observe the "presence" of reading in a real-life classroom. It was a little daunting when, in the 3 hours after I spoke with my supervisor, I had 5 emails asking to come and observe today, but it was actually a relief when they came. I'm always thinking about good teaching practices, but when someone's in the room, you become more aware of the WHY behind the practice, and much more aware of the consequences of teaching choices (probably because I'm thinking, What would they think if I did this? So I decided not to...)
After they left, I did realize that I think I can create a better balance of reading and writing in my classroom. My students have been reading all year, but usually they read as a way to get them INTO a writing practice or assignment. Maybe I could use a change of perspective: maybe writing is simply the way for them to convey to me what they think about what they READ.
Is it practically the same thing? Yeah. But I think the perspective change would help me be more purposeful with teaching to the READING SKILLS as well as teaching to the WRITING SKILLS.
Right now, I'm going to finish the grading I have to get done before the weekend, and then I'm going to celebrate the end of the week.
Boy - it's been a long one.
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